Chancellor of Terrakristovia
Chancellor is the title given to the Head of State in Terrakristovia . It was established as a functioning office on January 6, 1995, by Esperian Congress. Kristavo Vokto is the only politician to have served this position. His time acting in office spanned from 1995 to his death in 2012. Function 'Powers' The most prominent way a Chancellor influences legislation is through the Power of Parliance. The Chancellor excercises his/her power in regular meetings with Senators, called at his/her discretion. In these meetings, a Chancellor is meant to convince a Senator through the power of persuasion to move sooner or later on the agenda, or otherwise obstruct or endorse, introduced legislation. A Chancellor and the Senators collectively choose which Ministry(/ies) will process which pieces of introduced legislation. The Chancellor of Terrakristovia has ultimate and exclusive disposal of the Chancellor's Republican Legion (KLR, given the Esperanto acronym). This power can be seen as a substitute for the lack of control over the nation's military. The KLR consolidated into an executive paramilitary force at the end of the provisional government era in 2000. The Chancellor has privilage to form and dissolve many federal offices, though this must not be confused with the ability to hire/fire individuals from existing offices. An example of when a Chancellor excercised the right to disband an entire Ministry is when Kristavo Vokto dissolves the Ministry of Defense in 2011. Gregoro Soros is shown to run as part of his platform on a promise to create a Ministry of Finance, separate from the Ministry of Labor and Industry. As Terrakristovia functions without a formal constitution, merely a collection of governing documents, many grey areas exist where the Chancellor's powers are not well defined. As a result, the Chancellor can make executive orders, given that they are not too politically damaging. 'Restrictions' As stated before, a Chancellor has no ability to hire/fire at whim, without a Ministry (or Bureau) being able to nominate someone to fill the position. If a Chancellor abolishes a position vital to the function of a government body, the respective governing body has a privilage to create the replacement of such an office. Under normal circumstances as well, Senators and their Ministries usually have full management of their structure, though this is limited somewhat by the Ministry of Democracy in exceptional cases. A Chancellor has no formal powers to influence legislation beyond the Power of Parliance. This being the case, the Chancellor has very little control over the passage of legislation. However, if a Chancellor does not call a meeting of the Council of Senators, no new legislation can be assigned and therefore no new legislation can be produced. Kristavo Vokto has never used this as an obstruction mechanism. There is no process by which the Ministry of Democracy, the Ministry of Law and Order, or any other governing body may eject a Chancellor for legal but inappropriate behavior. Several efforts have been made to introduce such means, but who this power should be reserved to has been a contentious and polarizing question. All efforts thusfar have failed. As it stands, the Chancellor must finish their term before they can be barred from office, except in cases of formal conviction of breeching federal law, in which case, just as any other federal official, he/she must resign immediately. Privilages and Salary The Chancellor of Terrakristovia is given exclusive access to a private jet, a passenger train with luxury accomodations, a limousine (named "The Monarch"). The Chancellor is given the ceremonial privilage of decorating outstanding citizens with medals, and commissioning those medals him/herself. The salary of the Chancellor is currently 1,000,000 Stalikos per annuum. It is set by the Ministry of Democracy. Distinction from Other Offices 'President ' NOTE: (The following definitions of "presidential powers" are most applicable to the US political system, although many are common throughout many real-life political systems across the world which use the title "President" as their primary head of state) A Kristovian Chancellor is distinct from a President in that a President typically has more diplomatic responsibilities, usually being considered Chief Diplomat elsewhere in the world. Diplomacy in Terrakristovia is typically handled by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Although as stated it is not typical nor necessary for a Chancellor to have diplomatic obligations, a Chancellor is not constrained by restrictions from conducting diplomacy either. This is shown by Kristavo Vokto's actions in Left and Right We March, in which he meets in Lanverska with nationals from the USCR. This is the only time a Chancellor is seen meeting personally with foreign nationals. Somewhat of an exception could be considered for when in Left and Right We March ''Kristavo Vokto meets with members of the semi-autonomous Kristovian Autonomous Martial Zone's Commisariat. Unlike in most presidential systems, it is not necessary for a Chancellor to sign a piece of legislation into law. Legislation in Terrakristovia becomes law once it passes in its Ministry with a majority. No mechanism exists for a Chancellor to obstruct law once it has been passed. Presidents typically have a prestructured cabinet, which it is the President's duty to nominate executives of, as well as to confirm federal judges and others. A Chancellor has no authority to appoint an individual to any position. However, a Chancellor can create and abolish a number of federal offices as he/she sees fit, as long as a Ministry is given the power to fill those positions. In addition, there is no "Vice Chancellor" position, or any running mate in Chancellorial elections. While in office a President cannot author legislation, an acting Chancellor can introduce self-authored pieces of legislation into Ministries. He/she is still subject to the Senator's endorsement criteria. Kristavo Vokto has single-handedly authored more Doctrines into law than any minister in government. In Terrakristovia, the Chancellor has no warmaking powers. One of the key roles of President, in contrast, is Commander in Chief. Before 2011, the Kristovian military was directed under the Ministry of Defense. Since 2011, the Kristovian Autonomous Martial Zone has been the de jure protector state of Terrakristovia. It, and its military, are under the direction of the Commisariat and Paulo Stalo. 'Prime Minister' NOTE: (As with "President," this section refers to basic roles typical to many Parliamentary systems, recognizing the diversity of roles a "Prime Minister" could assume in any number of real-life national governments) The role of Chancellor differs from Prime Minister in all the ways which are relevant above, in addition to two more differences. The most prominent role of a Prime Minister is Head of Government. The role of Chancellor is limited to little more than Head of State. This means a Chancellor has no authority to direct debates, nor is it possible, as there are eight houses of government in Terrakristovia. A Chancellor is not a voting member of government, and does not set voting schedule. Much of these duties are assumed by the Senator presiding over each Ministry. A Prime Minister leads his/her political party. Terrakristovia is by law a partyless state. The Chancellor leads no coalition, and gathers no majority movement. Doing so could range from inappropriate to illegal. Election Process 'Main article: Elections in Terrakristovia'''